Greene wins debut as Yankees beat Indians, 5-3

Shane Greene gave a depleted Yankees rotation a nice boost on Monday, throwing six innings of two-run ball to win his first major-league start.(AP)

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The New York Yankees got a major boost from their young pitchers Monday night.

Shane Greene allowed two runs in six innings for his first major league win, All-Star Dellin Betances earned his first career save and the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3.

Greene (1-0) didn't allow a hit until Nick Swisher's two-out homer in the fifth. The 25-year-old right-hander was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after scheduled starter Vidal Nuno was traded to Arizona for right-hander Brandon McCarthy on Sunday.

Betances pitched the final two innings, giving closer David Robertson a rest day.

"It's pretty cool," Betances said. "I was just trying to go out there and keep it the same and make pitches."

"Some really good stuff out of some young pitchers," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We've gotten a lot of help from our guys in the minor leagues."

Brett Gardner, Brian McCann and Ichiro Suzuki had three hits apiece for New York, which has won four of five on its 11-game road trip.

Justin Masterson (4-6) continued to pitch poorly and was pulled without retiring a batter in the third. Cleveland's opening-day starter allowed five runs and six hits in two-plus innings. He walked three, hit a batter and rarely topped 90 mph in his 54 pitches, throwing only 24 strikes.

A 15th-round selection by New York in 2009, Greene allowed four hits, struck out two and didn't walk a batter. His only big league appearance prior to Monday came in relief against Boston on April 24 when he pitched one-third of an inning and allowed three unearned runs. Greene walked three of four hitters, all of whom scored, and threw eight of 23 pitches for strikes.

"We've said all along this kid has a lot of talent," Girardi said. "He did a lot of good things."

It's unclear if Greene will get another start.

"That's obviously going to be a topic of discussion," Girardi said. "We haven't made any decisions moving forward. We'll figure it out here pretty quick."

Asked if he thinks he deserves to in the rotation, Greene smiled and said, "That's not up to me."

Derek Jeter, playing in his final regular-season series in Cleveland, was 1 for 4 and drew a bases-loaded walk in the second.

Yan Gomes hit a leadoff homer in the eighth.

New York scored three times in the second when Masterson allowed four hits, walked two and hit a batter. Brian Roberts had an RBI double, Brett Gardner drove in a run with a single and Jeter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Masterson's struggles have become a growing concern for the Indians. Over his last five starts, the right-hander has allowed 19 runs, 27 hits and 17 walks in 18 innings. Masterson has pitched more than four innings once in that stretch.

Masterson was given extra time off because of a sore knee after lasting four innings against Arizona on June 24, but that didn't help. He didn't retire a batter in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and a stint on the disabled list is a possibility.

Asked about Masterson's knee Francona said, "It's hard to ask somebody when they're pitching. I think we need to sit and visit with Masty. The middle of a game's not the time to do that."

"We'll talk about it, I guess," Masterson said. "If that were brought up I guess that would be something to talk about to work through."

Masterson is a free agent after the season. The two sides talked about a contract extension in spring training, but didn't reach an agreement.

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NOTES: Yankees OF Carlos Beltran didn't play because of swelling behind his right knee. He said following the game that he might return to the lineup Tuesday. ... Indians OF Michael Bourn will miss three to four weeks with a strained left hamstring. .... McCarthy will make his first start for the Yankees on Wednesday. ... Cleveland acquired OF Chris Dickesron from Pittsburgh for cash or a player to be named. He started in left field and had a sixth-inning single. ... The Indians honored their former television/radio announcer Mike Hegan, who died in December, in a pregame ceremony. Hegan, a native of Cleveland, began his major league career with the Yankees in 1964. ... All-Star RHP Masahiro Tanaka (12-3) faces Indians RHP Trevor Bauer (2-4) on Tuesday.